Leaked Fallout merch, which has a man eating a napkin, sparks AI concerns

Any Fallout news is good news, in the eyes of players. The iconic series feels rejuvenated after the hit Amazon Prime TV show brought Bethesda's brand of the post-apocalypse to a more mainstream audience. Next, the series is set to venture back to the good old days of Obsidian's New Vegas, and players can't get enough. The monkey paw curls, however, as fans are upset by what appears to be new merch that has leaked online, which seems to show tell-tale signs of generative AI.

As Fallout reaches a larger audience, more people are turning their attention to the games than ever before. I wouldn't consider Fallout 4 one of the best open world games around, but a casual player could have a lot of fun.

As the games reach new audiences, the brand expands. It's the way of the world, and is a curse that has afflicted the likes of Pokemon and Mario before it. However, it feels even weirder when it comes to Fallout, which is a satire of the very corporate consumerism it now embodies.

Fans on Reddit were excited about a new set of leaked merch, which the leaker alleges will hit Target shelves in November or December this year. The video showed products that appeared to be lunchboxes and even hot sauce, although many items were difficult to make out clearly.

One commenter, who goes by the username u/Depresso_Exspresso069, pointed out that some of the box artwork looks like it may have been created using generative AI, however. As you can see in the image below, the character seems to be tucking into a delicious napkin, and both the knife and fork cutting the aforementioned napkin look slightly off, jutting out at weird angles from the hands that hold them. What's more, tea is being poured onto a plate, for some reason.

It has not been confirmed whether generative AI was used in the creation of this merchandise, or indeed if this merchandise is a legitimate Fallout product. PCGamesN has reached out to Bethesda for comment on the matter, and we'll update this piece if we receive a response.

If you're eager for some more post-apocalyptic games, check out our list of the best games like Fallout for some inspiration. If that strays too far from the ghouls for your liking, install one of the best Fallout 4 mods to improve the experience and start afresh.

You can also join our community Discord server. Plenty of readers and staff are Fallout Enjoyers, so you'll be in good company.